Murray ends 77-year wait

VICTORIOUS Andy Murray hopes yesterday’s historic Wimbledon win will not be life-changing, after his straight sets triumph against Novak Djokovic gripped a nation and ended a 77-year wait for a British male champion.

Taking on the world No1, just seven days his junior, Murray, 26, battled to a gruelling 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 win on a sun-drenched Centre Court to the joy of thousands in attendance at SW19 and an audience of millions watching around the globe on TV.

Victory for the reigning US Open and Olympic champion, in his eighth Wimbledon campaign, is guaranteed to earn Murray multi-million pound endorsements and a lifetime of adulation.

However, Murray, who hails from Dunblane in Scotland – a town with a population of less than 9,000 – seems keen to shirk the limelight.

“I don’t know how it will change my life, I hope not too much,” said Murray, who pocketed £1.6m in prize money for his victory.

“I didn’t always feel it [winning Wimbledon] was going to happen. It’s incredibly difficult to win these events, I don’t think that’s that well understood sometimes.

“For the last four or five years it’s been very tough, very stressful and a lot of pressure. It’s so hard to avoid everything because of how big this event is, but also because of the history and no Brit having won.

“It’s been very difficult, I think now it will become easier.”

Murray’s triumph ensures Fred Perry, the last British male winner in 1936, is a name that can finally be filed away in the sporting archives.

However, the world No2 admits he would have loved to have met the man who is still synonymous with British tennis.

“It’s a shame that I never got to meet him [Perry],” said Murray.

“He’s someone that I’ve obviously never met, but is quite relevant in my career. I’ve met various people from his family and obviously used to wear his gear.